+
upworthy
Culture

Guy's wonderful TikTok video destroys the myth that women are more talkative than men

Guy's wonderful TikTok video destroys the myth that women are more talkative than men
via Pexels

Throughout history, women have always been stereotyped as the more talkative gender. People who talk too much are known as Chatty Cathys and there is no male equivalent. Talkative Tim? Spechifying Simon? Mansplaining Marty? They don't exist.

Just consider the famous quotes about women: "A woman's tongue wags like a lamb's tail, never still," and "Many women, many words."

As the stereotypes go, women have been unfairly labeled as gossipers who sit around the proverbial "sewing circle" telling tales out of school.



This stereotype of chatty, gossipy women has rendered their speech to be perceived as frivolous, compared to men whose contrite manner of speaking is seen as virtuous. The old saying he was a "man of few words" is usually seen as a positive trait.

On a deeper level, the devaluing of women's speech due to the belief that they are careless with words means that they're often uncomfortable when speaking up in professional settings.

Psychologist Victoria Brescoll says that "institutional power encourages men but discourages women from talking more, as powerful women fear a backlash that is absent for men when taking on a greater share of the conversational floor."

The assumption that women talk more than men is generally accepted by most people. However, according to research, it isn't true. In fact, it only took artist Abraham Piper from Minneapolis, Minnesota, about a minute to debunk the myth recently on TikTok.

In his video, Piper cites a study by researchers Deborah James and Janice Drakich published in 1993. The meta-analysis revealed that only two of 56 studies found that women talk more than men and that 34 of them said men talk more than women.

Another study by psychologist James Pennebaker fitted men and women in the U.S and Mexico with a device that records 30-second snippets of sound every 12.5 minutes. Pennebaker found that women spoke an average of 16,215 words a day while the men spoke 15,669. A pretty negligible difference.

Piper also points out that a big reason for the recent perpetuation of the myth that it was popularized by a major figure on the Christian right.

"It was first published and popularized by James Dobson. That's right the mega-famous Christian conservative psychologist of Focus on the Family," Piper says.

In Dobson's book "Love for a Lifetime," he incorrectly states that "research tells us" God gives a woman 50,000 words a day, while her husband only gets 25,000.

Dobson then extrapolates that this causes tension in the home because men come home from work and they've used up their entire word budget for the day and their wives are just rearing to go.

Piper notes that Dobson's stat is often cited by well-meaning psychologists who never did their research, "So many people believe it."

The good news is that Piper's video has been seen by hundreds of thousands of people, so maybe it'll work to change public perception.

True

Making new friends as an adult is challenging. While people crave meaningful IRL connections, it can be hard to know where to find them. But thanks to one Facebook Group, meeting your new best friends is easier than ever.

Founded in 2018, NYC Brunch Squad brings together hundreds of people who come as strangers and leave as friends through its in-person events.

“Witnessing the transformative impact our community has on the lives of our members is truly remarkable. We provide the essential support and connections needed to thrive amid the city's chaos,” shares Liza Rubin, the group’s founder.

Despite its name, the group doesn’t just do brunch. They also have book clubs, seasonal parties, and picnics, among other activities.

NYC Brunch Squad curates up to 10 monthly events tailored to the specific interests of its members. Liza handles all the details, taking into account different budgets and event sizes – all people have to do is show up.

“We have members who met at our events and became friends and went on to embark on international journeys to celebrate birthdays together. We have had members get married with bridesmaids by their sides who were women they first connected with at our events. We’ve had members decide to live together and become roommates,” Liza says.

Members also bond over their passion for giving back to their community. The group has hosted many impact-driven events, including a “Picnic with Purpose” to create self-care packages for homeless shelters and recently participated in the #SquadSpreadsJoy challenge. Each day, the 100 members participating receive random acts of kindness to complete. They can also share their stories on the group page to earn extra points. The member with the most points at the end wins a free seat at the group's Friendsgiving event.

Keep ReadingShow less
Image from Wikimedia Commons.

Van Gogh’s Starry Night.



Van Gough never got to enjoy his own historic success as an artist (even though we've been able to imagine what that moment might have looked like). But it turns out that those of us who have appreciated his work have been missing out on some critical details for more than 100 years.

I'm not easily impressed, OK?

I know Van Gogh was a genius. If the point of this were "Van Gogh was a mad genius," I would not be sharing this with you.
Keep ReadingShow less

Is it always best to be honest with friends?

A big parenting trend over the past few decades is people giving their children names that help them stand out instead of fit in. Social scientists say that a big reason for the change in America is the rise of individualism.

“As American culture has become more individualistic, parents have favored giving children names that help them stand out—and that means more unique names and fewer common names,” Jean Twenge, a San Diego State University psychology professor, told the BBC.

However, being an individualist comes with some risks. One can be an iconoclastic trendsetter or seen as desperate, inauthentic and cringeworthy.

Keep ReadingShow less

Christine Kesteloo has one big problem living on a cruise ship.

A lot of folks would love to trade lives with Christine Kesteloo. Her husband is the Chief Engineer on a cruise ship, so she gets to live on the boat pretty much for free as the “wife on board.” For Christine, life is a lot like living on a permanent vacation.

“I live on a cruise ship for half the year with my husband, and it's often as glamorous as it sounds,” she told Insider. “After all, I don't cook, clean, make my bed, do laundry or pay for food.“

Living an all-inclusive lifestyle seems like paradise, but it has some drawbacks. Having access to all-you-can-eat food all day long can really have an effect on one’s waistline. Kesteloo admits that living on a cruise ship takes a lot of self-discipline because the temptation is always right under her nose.

Keep ReadingShow less
Pop Culture

Macaulay Culkin finally got his Hollywood star, and it was full of heartfelt nostalgia

The moment included a heartfelt reunion with beloved "Home Alone" star Catherine O'Hara.

photo by Alan Light, Wikipedia/Canva

A photo of young Macaulay Culkin and the Hollywood Walk of Fame

With Christmas just around the corner, it feels beyond appropriate that holiday icon Macaulay Culkin would be getting his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame this past weekend on Friday, Dec 1st.

It was an adorable moment filled with sweet reunions, emotional speeches and plenty of heartfelt nostalgia as the “Home Alone” actor accepted his long awaited award. Not to mention it left several fans proud to see how much the child star had grown up into a healthy adult.
Keep ReadingShow less

Dad walks in on couple in hilariously compromising scene

Look, sometimes we walk in on things that we just shouldn't see. Those situations can be embarrassing for everyone involved and there's never a clear way to address it depending on what exactly was seen. Sure, some situations are easier to explain than others while others may be completely innocent but no amount of explaining will make the unsuspecting party believe it.

One Italian couple was recording a video for a TikTok trend when the woman's father walked in on them. Music is blasting when the dad slowly opens the door to take a peek at what's going on. It appears he was not ready to see what he saw because he stood in the doorway looking confused and flabbergasted at the sight.

Matilde Morra and Daniele were having a good time dancing for the trend while she was wearing her partner's baggy clothes and he was wearing...her leopard print dress.

Keep ReadingShow less
Photo by Jamie Street on Unsplash

Anyone who's ever been on Tinder knows having a cute animal in the photo is usually a big hit.

But what if Tinder profile photos only featured that cute animal? And what if, instead of a millennial would-be hooker-upper, it was the adorable dog or cat itself looking for true love?

That's an idea some animal shelters are toying with.

Keep ReadingShow less